What To Know Before Getting Hair Transplant Surgery in Utah

Nicea DeGering: I brought Brian Carlson in on this segment as he’s a man but does already have a full head of hair. The older guys get, the more they start thinking about hair loss. In fact, hair transplant surgery grew in popularity by 76% from the year 2006 to the year 2014 and Dr. Scott Thompson is back on the show from Utah Facial Plastics to discuss what to know before getting hair transplant surgery in Utah. Is that true? Do you see that in your office?

Dr. Thompson: Yeah, I do and I think the big reason for that old school hair transplant was plugs, it was very obvious and very unnatural looking. And there’s been some huge advances in how hair transplant surgery is done. It works and looks completely natural and just pretty amazing actually.

Brian: So what are you doing instead?

Dr. Thompson: So in the past, multiple grafts of hair were just put in almost as a plug and now, we get under a microscope and we split each hair follicle into a single unit and that’s transplanted just like a normal hair is. We put certain hairs at the front and certain hairs in the back and we just know what the natural hairline is and how the hairline recedes so we’re able to use all that information to provide a natural result.

Nicea: So you’re not taking a section of hair anymore and it’s from the back, right?

Dr. Thompson: We are, we still sometimes take a section from the back of the head and we’ll slice that up into individual follicles. Or the other method for someone that wears real short hair in the back is to take the hair follicles out individually with NeoGraft and then there’s no scar on the back of the head. So there’s two ways to do it and we use both of them depending on the patient.

Brian: You’ve really changed the game here.

Dr. Thompson: It is a game-changer, it really is. We have a lot of younger patients who come in liking the idea of the FUE method, or NeoGraft, where we take out an individual hair one at a time because it leaves them with no scar on the back of the head.

Nicea: Dr. Thompson, we’re looking at before and afters while you’re talking and some have a lot of hair loss before and some have just a little. How do you know if it’s the right time for you? How do you know it will work for you?

Dr. Thompson: Well, the main thing is to have a consultation. Because everyone has a different rate of hair loss depending on your age and depending on how much hair you have right now. It will all determine the recommendations we would make. So It’s hard to make a generalized statement without having a consultation.

Brian: And is there a good age you usually recommend people come in for this? Because as a guy still in my 30’s it’s something that still worries me. I don’t know if I’m going to end up like my mother’s father or who I will end up looking like.

Nicea: Is that true, by the way? You look at your mom’s dad?

Dr. Thompson: That’s one factor but there are so many things that come in to play. If you’re in your 40’s and you have this head of hair you’re probably not going to lose it all. But if you’re in your 30’s and you’re starting to notice some changes it could accelerate really rapidly or it could remain stable. I would say anytime is a good time to come in for a consultation. Sometimes I’ll turn people away and have them take medication for 5 to 7 years and we can see what happens and then we’ll determine if a hair transplant is right. Because if we go in and add all this hair and then you lose everything else that could be a big problem down the road.

Nicea: Where is hair loss most common on men? Is it in the back or more in the front?

Dr. Thompson: Male pattern hair loss is usually here in the crown and then receding in the temporal area.

Brian: So I’ve got it right here. I don’t have the top or any of that other stuff but just right on the sides.

Nicea: Is scarring an issue?

Dr. Thompson: With the method where we remove the strip you will have a linear scar. So if you wear your hair longer it tends to not be visible and you heal really well. If you wear your hair short then we’d just do FUE where you’d have little tiny pinpoint scars.

Nicea: Once you have it done, will you have to have it done again or will this last?

Dr. Thompson: That all depends on how much donor material you have back here and what your final goal is and how much you have to start with. A lot of times we are recommending a second session because people are wanting it to be as thick as possible.

Nicea: The before and afters, are you seeing incredible results? They’re just so much fuller.

Dr. Thompson: Yeah, we are but you do have to take into consideration is that it takes a full year for the results to be apparent. It takes time for the new growth to come in so it’s a process but I’ve been very excited about it and something I’ve done throughout my whole career and I’m excited about it.

Nicea: Well there’s no one better. There is no one better to talk to about hair transplant surgery in Utah and he can give you all of your options. Dr. Thompson is at utahfacialplastics.com and right now they are offering $750 off NeoGraft and 25% off PRP Injections. It’s confidence right? It’s personal.